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81 " footnotes to a feeling "
― Armistead Maupin , Michael Tolliver Lives (Tales of the City, #7)
82 " My youth would be like that, the slow decay of cherished myths—about politics and race, about love itself—until nothing was left but compost from which something authentic could finally begin to grow. "
― Armistead Maupin , Logical Family: A Memoir
83 " spotted the playwright in a crowd of shiny-faced people, all scrambling to be photographed with him. He had plastered a smile on his face, but he looked bereft and empty. Trapped. It was the most chilling image of fame I had ever seen thus far. "
84 " The hell of it is, I know the answer. The answer is that you never, ever, rely on another person for your peace of mind. If you do, you’re screwed but good. Not right away, maybe, but sooner or later. You have to—I don’t know—you have to learn to live with yourself. You have to learn to turn back your own sheets and set a table for one without feeling pathetic. You have to be strong and confident and pleased with yourself and never give the slightest impression that you can’t hack it without that certain goddamn someone. You have to fake the hell out of it. "
― Armistead Maupin , 28 Barbary Lane: The Tales of the City Omnibus (Tales of the City, #1-3)
85 " Ohhh, that feels lovely. The earth knows exactly how to hold us if we just let it. "
― Armistead Maupin , The Days of Anna Madrigal (Tales of the City, #9)
86 " I busted my butt trying to be everything to one person. Finally, I had to settle for being one thing to every person. "
― Armistead Maupin , Further Tales of the City (Tales of the City, #3)
87 " THERE WERE MORNINGS WHEN VINCENT FELT LIKE THE last hippie in the world. The Last Hippie. The phrase assumed a kind of tragic grandeur as he stood in the bathroom of his Oak Street flat, fluffing his amber mane to conceal his missing ear. If "
― Armistead Maupin , Tales of the City (Tales of the City, #1)
88 " Oh, Mona, we're all damned fools! Some of us just have more fun with it than others. Loosen up, dear! Don't be so afraid to cry . . . or laugh, for that matter. Laugh all you want and cry all you want and whistle at pretty men in the street and to hell with anybody who thinks you're a damned fool! "
― Armistead Maupin , More Tales of the City (Tales of the City, #2)
89 " It’s clearer and clearer as I get older that sometimes people that you share blood with are not coming along with you on the ride. "
― Armistead Maupin
90 " If you want to know who the oppressed minorities in America are, simply look at who gets their own shelf in the bookstore. A black shelf, a women's shelf, and a gay shelf. "
91 " I have always preferred an occasional orgy to a nightly routine.""What?""Aunt Augusta said that. In Travels with My Aunt. "
― Armistead Maupin , Mary Ann in Autumn (Tales of the City, #8)
92 " Small world, huh?”She grinned lewdly. “Not particularly. I’d say you’ve just run out of material. "
93 " What about San Francisco?""What about it?""Did you like it?"She shrugged. "It was O.K.""Just O.K.?"She laughed. "Good God!""What?""You're all alike here.""How so?" he asked."You demand adoration for the place. You're not happy until everybody swears undying love for every nook and cranny of every precious damn --""Whoa, missy.""Well, it's true. Can't you just worship it on your own? Do I have to sign an affadavit?"He chuckled. "We're that bad, are we?""You bet your ass you are. "
94 " Look," said Mary Ann evenly, "if I think you're really attractive, there must be plenty of men in this town who feel the same way.""Yeah," said Michael ruefully. "Size queens.""Oh, don't be silly!" Sometimes Michael was sensitive about the dumbest things. He's at least five nine, thought Mary Ann. That's tall enough for anybody. "
95 " Your hair has always been amazing. I remember those fabulous chopsticks you used to wear."Anna wore a look of amused chagrin. "I'm afraid Mr. Greenleaf won't let me wear those anymore. I took a little tumble one night and almost harpooned the cat."This was very much the Anna she remembered: warm and self-mocking and complete present. And somehow that made it even harder to accept how frail she'd become since Mary Ann's last visit. "
96 " Thack seemed to sort something out for a moment. “Sometimes I watch him when he’s playing with Harry or digging in the yard. And I think: This is it, this is the guy I’ve waited for all my life. Then this other voice tells me not to get used to it, that it’ll only hurt more later. It’s funny. You’re feeling this enormous good fortune and waiting for it to be over at the same time.”“You seem happy,” Brian ventured.“I am.”“Well … that’s a lot. I envy you that.”Thack shrugged. “All we’ve got is now, I guess. But that’s all anybody gets. If we wasted that time being scared …”“Absolutely. "
― Armistead Maupin , Sure of You (Tales of the City, #6)
97 " Taureans are stubborn as hell. They never want to tell you what sign they are.... But underneath that tough Taurus hide beats the heart of a hopeless romantic. "
98 " Nobody's happy. What's happy? Happiness is over when the lights come on."The older woman poured herself a glass of sangria. "Screw that," she said quietly."What?""Screw that. Wash your mouth out. Who taught you that half-assed existential drivel? "
99 " Mona knocked at the wrong time.“Uh…yeah…wait a minute, Mona -- ”Mona shouted through the door. “Room service, gentlemen. Just pull the covers up.”Michael grinned at Jon. “My roommate. Brace yourself.”Seconds later, Mona burst through the doorway with a tray of coffee and croissants.“Hi! I’m Nancy Drew! You must be the Hardy Boys! "
100 " My life is full of love; I designed it that way. I try to make my own experience about love and I look for kindness in others. That’s the thing I value the most: it will get you through everything. "